


love right where we are (paris in the rain)

by jeolmeoniji



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cuddles, Established Relationship, Kisses, M/M, extra extra soft, i'm extra soft for renjun and for mark could you guess lol, loosely inspired by lauv's songs, rainy and lazy afternoon, references to paris, renjun is a romantic and mark loves him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24610024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeolmeoniji/pseuds/jeolmeoniji
Summary: The stars glinting in Renjun's eyes are ten times brighter than the fairy lights on his bedroom walls.It reminds Mark of how bright the Eiffel Tower has shone, when he was in Paris. He wonders how bright Renjun's eyes would be if he looked at the illuminated Eiffel Tower, too.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Mark Lee
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	love right where we are (paris in the rain)

**Author's Note:**

> markren nation this is for you <3

Soft and catchy chords resonate through the dorm when Mark opens the entrance door. The sound is soft and barely audible, but the apartment is so still that he can distinguish it easily. The notes travel through the air and tickle Mark's ears. A small smile comes to his face; he's not even surprised to recognize what song it is.

He drops his bag on the couch after he shuffles out of his shoes, his moves like cotton around him because he doesn't want to break the atmosphere that has taken over the dorm, like a thin mantle of snow in the night, or like he's swimming underwater and nothing from the outside can come to bother his mind. He follows the music with unhurried footsteps, socks sliding against the parquet. He stops in front of one door in particular, and as he thought, the sound seems to slip out of the almost inexistant interstice under it, a foretaste of what it is gonna be once he enters the bedroom and lets himself be envelopped by it entirely.

Two soft knocks on the frame, and then he lowers the knob when a hum travels inbetween the recorded singing voice.

Renjun's room is like another world, far away from Johnny and Donghyuck's where they have desks full of their keyboards and screens. Different from the hacker cave of Jaemin and Jisung, or Jeno's bike store. Different from Mark's simple room too, where his biggest decoration can probably be his guitar.

Renjun is sitting cross-legged on his bed, Ipad on his laps and electronic pen in hand. When he lifts his head to look at Mark who closes the door behind him, the parse radiance coming from the fairy lights he's decorated the wall with highlights his sharp yet soft features. It's a gloomy day outside, clouds low and grey, giving a strange mood to the whole city; they are visible from the window, but Renjun has partially closed the curtains.

The room isn't really lightened, but when Renjun smiles at Mark, Mark thinks of how many times Renjun has said that he's the one who lightens up the world, and maybe in these timeless moments like this one he can believe he truly does.

“You're back,” Renjun states, and Mark nods, reaching the bed and standing in front of Renjun.

His Ipad is open on his drawing program, where he can guess another night sky full of stars in the process. The drawing is full of rich violets and blues blending into each other. One of the stars is more intricated than the others, and Mark recognizes a flower blooming in the infinite universe.

“It's very pretty,” he murmures, _you're very pretty_.

Whispering feels more fitting. Mark is more tired than he thought, and he wants to melt in the warm and heartwarming feeling of home that being next to Renjun always brings him. Renjun lowers his eyes to have a glance at the drawing he was working on, and his eyelashes caress his cheeks; Mark wants to stroke his face too.

“Thank you.”

Renjun taps the screen to save his work, and then puts his Ipad and pen aside, finally giving all his attention to Mark, even if Mark would have been okay to continue looking at him drawing. He's done this plenty of times, just like Renjun has watched him writing and erasing lyrics on his precious notebook. The song coming from Renjun's speakers fades out, and melts with the next one, from the same artist, the same blues and jazzy notes that match the kind of afternoon Seoul has decided to have today.

“Gonna stand for the whole time?” Renjun teases slightly, and Mark smiles, putting a knee on the mattress and joining Renjun, kissing his forehead softly before Renjun opens his arms and hugs him like he would hug a plushie after a long day. Mark almost loses his balance, but it's easy to regain it. Renjun's head is burried against his torso, and he inhales slowly. Mark loves this, loves having Renjun close to his heart, their skin touching, the assurance that for one more moment that he can store in his mind, he's by Renjun's side.

Renjun pulls at his shirt, and soon enough they are both lying and cuddling on the cover, their limbs intertwined, Renjun drowning in his oversized grey hoodie but having Mark as his anchor. Renjun is petite, but he's so strong that he would never get lost. His mind is steady and he never loses sight of what his goals are.

And when it's a bit difficult, Mark is here for him.

Mark steals a few peck in Renjun's hair, soft lips dragging against his forehead, and then lower and after a kiss on his nose, he finds his lips. The room is full of the soft english music and Renjun's slightly fast breathing – Mark smiles, because he's caused that, and Renjun can feel his smile like it's electric, their mouths only a few millimeters apart. A whine escapes his lips and that's the only thing Mark needed before sloting his lips against Renjun's sensitive ones.

Their kiss is slow and languid. Renjun sighs, and opens his mouth while he tightens his hug and Mark is a bit more flushed against his body. Mark's tongue enters his parted lips and they feel like lukewarm honey drips in their lungs.

They kiss for several songs, satisfied and relaxed, happy to be together in the tranquil dorm. And then Renjun lowers his head and just burries himself against Mark's neck, trembling lips tickling Mark's collarbone. Mark threads his fingers in Renjun's hair, and squeezes him slightly against him.

He looks at the dots of lights the fairy light casts around the room, coupled with the tilting soft shadows that Renjun's candles create. It's only now that he notices he's kindled some, their sweet scent swifting through the air just like the chords of the playlist they haven't taken attention to, too lost in each other.

The rain starts to fall outside, tiptoeing against the window, and Mark chuckles because it matches the moment _Paris in the rain_ finally plays again, the same song he's recognized when he's entered the dorm. Mark knows that Renjun's Lauv playlist is always a must when Seoul is gray and Renjun feels a little bit more emotional than usual, accepting his emotions and nursing them for a few hours.

“I always wondered why Taeyong hyung filmed a choreography on this song, while the sun was shining in Paris,” Renjun muffles against Mark's skin.

Mark thinks back on the tour he did with the 127 unit the previous year, how they have visited so many cities in so little time to the point Mark is a bit sad that the memories are mingling too much. There's the joy, though, the pride of having achieved something so big. Paris was one of the stop, and he remembers the sun and the long busy streets, the French people asking him if he wanted a _café_ or a _croissant_ or both, the illuminated Eiffel Tower once the sun sets on the city of love.

He knows Renjun wants to visit Paris, too. He wishes he'll be able to, with him, maybe – hopefully – for a Dream world tour, something they deserve and could make happen now that the unit is a family that doesn't have to split anymore.

“Paris in the rain must be so romantic,” Renjun says.

Mark snorts. He's experienced it, and it wasn't anything special; it has been grey, dirty, morose. Unhappy Parisians walking around, cold cigarette butts floating in sad puddles. Paris under the rain isn't different from any other city when it rains, if you ask Mark.

“It's just cold and wet,” Mark grimaces.

He prefers the weather to be colder, so heavy and white snow can fall instead. It reminds him of Canada.

“I beg to differ,” Renjun huffs, leaning on his elbows to have a better look at Mark. “Rain never is the same. One rainy day can be an excuse to go hide in a cosy coffee shop, another one can ask for a romantic stroll under an umbrella. Just think of a summer rain, hyung, the fresh smell and the blurry edges it gives to the buildings around you. I bet it would be beautiful, in Paris. Isn't there this museum that is inside an old train station and has a glass ceiling? Imagine the sound of the rain drops against it while you admire artworks.”

Renjun's voice raises the more he's exposing his own opinion on the matter. Mark almost loses himself in Renjun's serious frown. When Renjun is excited about a subject, his voice will always have that undertone of trepidation, just like when he talks during his radio show.

Mark likes to listen to it sometimes, when he has time. Even if he doesn't understand Chinese, with Renjun's soothing voice through his earphones, knowing that Renjun is doing something that he takes pride in, it's everything that Mark needs.

Renjun looks at Mark with a little challenging fire in his pupils.

“I guess...,” Mark begins, “I guess we'll need to find out by ourselves again, the two of us. If Paris is as romantic as you say it is under the rain,” and he smoothes down a rebel strand on top of Renjun's head.

“I'm keeping your words, hyung,” Renjun replies. “You owe me a romantic date in Paris, now,” and the stars glinting in his eyes are ten times brighter than the fairy lights on his walls.

It reminds him of how bright the Eiffel Tower has shone, one late night a day before or after the concert, he doesn't remember exactly, it doesn't matter that much.

He wonders how bright Renjun's eyes would be if he looked at the illuminated Eiffel Tower, too. Beside Mark, under an umbrella, with the rain dancing around them. Would it smell like summer rain or french _pâtisseries_? Would there be Jaemin taking memories of everything through his expensive camera lense? Would they then go on a stroll along the Seine? Or would they instead go on a _bateau-mouche_ to navigate between Paris' fancy architecture?

“Noted, love. A romantic date in Paris it is, I promise.”

Renjun goes back to cuddle him with a satisfied grin, cheeks dusted in pink, just like a soft sunset.

The afternoon rolls around their velvety cocoon while following the rhythm of the silky music dropping just like Renjun's blanket falling off the bed, while following the rhythm of the chords dropping just like the rain hitting the window.

Wherever they kiss, be it in the stretch of Paris or in the intimacy of their dorm, Mark is sure that Renjun's lips will always feel the same against his own – soft, lovely, lively, _perfect._

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked it and melted even just a bit, i had a lot of fun writing it ^-^
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/_renjunbaobei) \+ [cc](https://curiouscat.me/jeolmeoniji)


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